VERNON, NY -- Alan Johnson of Phelps won the Sunoco Race Fuels
358-Modified Super DIRT Series 100-lap event in thrilling fashion last
Sunday in the 2001 season finale at Utica-Rome Speedway on Nice N'
Easy Grocery Shoppes / F.X. Caprara Car Companies night. Johnson started
fourteenth and steadily raced his way to the front, taking the lead from
Brett Hearn on lap 82 and riding on to his first victory at the track
since 1987. The win for the driver of the Maroney Motorsports / Bicknell
Racing products No. 14J was worth $3,000 and it was his sixth victory
this season on the Super DIRT Series.

Also winning were 2001 DIRT Pro Stock track champion Bret Belden of West
Edmeston in the Automobile Recyclers Association of New York Pro Stock
Super DIRT Series event and Waylan Wilczek of Westmoreland for his first
career victory in the Pure Stock feature.

Ron Holmes and Sportsman driver Willy Decker led the 32-car Sunoco Race
Fuels 358-Modified Super DIRT Series starting field down to the flags of
Starter Dick Sweet, with Holmes racing out to the early lead. Hearn moved
into second, with Steve Paine taking over third from Decker by lap 7,
while Pete Bicknell was in fourth as Hearn began reeling in Holmes as the
early laps ticked by. Steadily but surely working his way to the front
was Alan Johnson, who took over the seventh position from Decker on lap
11. Alan was fast, but right in front of him was his brother Danny who
started twelfth and was simply flying as he made a three wide move with
Jack Johnson and Paine to take over fifth on lap 12. Hearn had caught
Holmes and took the lead on lap 13. One lap later, Bicknell raced into
second with Danny taking over third from Holmes on lap 22. Alan Johnson
continued to work the low groove in the turns and picked off fifth from
Jack Johnson on lap 30.

Lapped traffic became an issue for the leaders, and helped Danny take
over second from Bicknell. When Holmes bobbled on lap 36 in turn four,
Alan moved into fourth as brother Danny seemed to close in on Hearn with
the traffic. With the lapped cars three wide in front of Hearn and
Johnson closing, Hearn tried to split Steve Hulsizer and Billy Wilcox in
an attempt to get around. However, contact was made and Hearn eventually
got around the traffic.

At the halfway point, the top ten was Hearn, Danny Johnson, Bicknell,
Alan Johnson, Ron Holmes, Jack Johnson, Paine, Tom Sears Jr., Jason
Barney, and Matt Sheppard. Despite the close call, Hearn was using the
lapped cars to his advantage, and was able to pull away from Danny as
Alan raced right into third on lap 55 sending Bicknell back to fourth. A
lap 56 caution slowed the field and sent the lapped cars to the inside,
so the top dogs were all lined up to race for the win. On the restart,
Danny went right to work on his bitter rival Hearn, with each driver
working different lanes on each end of the speedway. However, this
enabled Alan to work underneath brother Danny but Danny held onto the
spot, as Hearn pulled away. However, with Alan shaken off, Danny was able
to catch Hearn once again on lap 67, with Alan sneaking in once again as
the fans rose to their feet.

Danny was literally on Brett's back bumper on lap 75, with Alan
right there as well as they worked lapped traffic once again. Alan
continued to work the extreme lowside of the speedway, especially out of
turn four where he seemed faster than anyone. Alan powered into second on
lap 81, sending Danny to third, and it really seemed as though Alan had
something for Hearn. As the fans rose to their feet cheering once again,
Alan, like a rocket, shot out of turn four underneath Hearn on lap 82 to
take the lead by inches at the line. Hearn, however, was not giving up,
as he was able to pressure Alan as they raced side by side over the next
two laps, with Johnson leading each time in heavy lapped traffic.

On a lap 86 restart, Alan opened a lead, but Bicknell and Danny put on a
whale of a show for third as the remainder of the laps ticked by. Alan
began pulling away, just as Bicknell put a slide job on Danny to take
over third. However, Danny got the spot right back, but with a restart
with three laps to go, Bicknell and Johnson went all out for third, as
the points are very important. From there on out, it was all Alan Johnson
went on to his first win at Utica-Rome since June 16, 1987. Brett Hearn
was .667 seconds behind Johnson at the finish, with Bicknell in third,
Danny in fourth, and Jack Johnson in fifth. Completing the top ten, it
was Vic Coffey, Ron Holmes, Steve Paine, Matt Sheppard, and Ryan Baye.

"This car is just a great race car," said a happy Alan Johnson in victory
lane after his ninth career victory at the track. "It seemed that the
slower the track got, the faster the car was. It's great everywhere
on the track, and we took advantage of it tonight. We've been
struggling here lately, so it was great to win."

Johnson, who drives the orange Bicknell 2002x chassied, Mike Maroney
owned No. 14J drew the fourteenth starting position during the redraw,
and he was asked in victory lane if he thought there was anything special
in that number. "No, not really," he said. "We drew thirteen on Friday,
and still won at Brockville. A number is a number."

Four minor yellows slowed the event due to minor skirmishes, mechanical
problems, and flat tires, but one red flag was brought out on lap 14 when
Wayne Reutimann, Chad Ward, J.J. Michaels, and John Barker came together
on the backstretch. The Michaels and Barker machines were locked together
and several minutes were taken to unhook the cars.

In time trials, Steve Paine set the JE Pistons Fast Time with a 20.042,
which is 89.811 mph around the fast Utica-Rome half-mile. Brett Hearn was
second, followed by Bicknell, Hulsizer, and Aaron Excell. Bicknell,
Sears, Excell, Holmes, Alan Johnson, and Danny Johnson won the heat
races, while Billy Wilcox, Jason Barney, and Gus Schmidt won the consis.
Billy Wilcox will represent Utica-Rome in the Super DIRT Week Sunoco /
A-Plus 358-Modified Championship 150 on October 6 as he won a guaranteed
starting spot for the event. Alan Johnson was the BERT Hard Charger as he
advanced the most positions of any driver during the event from their
starting spot.

The Sunoco Race Fuels 358-Modified Super DIRT Series continues September
22 at Rolling Wheels Raceway in Elbridge. Danny Johnson holds a one-point
lead over Steve Paine in the Super DIRT Series point standings, with Alan
Johnson rapidly closing in on the top two. A great battle for the
national Mr. DIRT 358-Modified champion appears to be in the making.

Bret Belden, the 2001 DIRT Pro Stock track champion, used the outside
pole starting position to his advantage and showed everyone why he is
champion by winning the Automobile Recyclers Association of New York Pro
Stock Super DIRT Series 25-lap event for the second consecutive season.
Belden led the entire distance of the race, and was never seriously
pressured by runner up Butchie Irwin or any other of the invading drivers
in his tenth career victory at the track. Jerry Holmes, Dave Bruno, Billy
King, Wayne Archer, Tom Cannizzaro, Jipp Ortiz, Tom Barron, and Pete
Stefanski completed the top ten. Barron, Belden, Irwin, Holmes, and
Cannizzaro won heats, while Mark Effner and Eric Vanderhoof won the
consis.

Belden will now represent Utica-Rome on the Syracuse Mile during Super
DIRT Week on October 6 as he won a guaranteed spot for the event due to
his win last Sunday at Utica-Rome.

Waylan Wilczek of Westmoreland took the lead from early leader Art Newman
Jr. on lap 5 and went on to his first career 15-lap Pure Stock feature
win at Utica-Rome. Newman, David Pope, Ricky Trexler, and Bill Mason
completed the top five.

Notes -- 56 Modifieds, 42 Pro Stocks, and 14 Pure Stocks were on hand
for the season finale on an emotional night due to the recent terrorist
attacks. 1,000 American flags were handed out to the spectators, and the
competitors in the Modified feature displayed American flag decals on the
right rear window of their machines, thanks to the generosity of Triple T
Signs and Kinney's Kar Kare, both on Route 46 in Oneida. A gigantic
billboard, featuring the American flag and the words "UNITED WE STAND"
was put up on the backstretch and made by J.R. Graphics in Weedsport.
Before the features, all the drivers as well as their crews came on the
track for a special tribute to the nation featuring the singing of the
National Anthem by Nashville country artist Sharie Bardo. The final
Modified chassis win count: Troyer 10, TEO 6, and Bicknell 3. Nine
different drivers have won in the headline DIRT 358-Modifieds to date,
including Todd Burley (7), Jack Johnson (3), J.J. Michaels (2), Mitch
Gibbs (2), Danny Johnson (1), John Ramsey (1), Aaron Excell (1), Ryan
Baye (1), and Alan Johnson (1). With the completion of this event, the
2001 racing season at Utica-Rome is now over. Track management and all
the employees wish to thank everyone for a very successful year and are
all looking forward to the 2002 season. Stay tuned to the track website
at www.newuticaromespeedway.com for the latest off season news and
updates.